Dollars and sense

Dollars and sense. This chapter discusses the evolving financial situation facing the American nonprofit arena. It begins by discussing the fact that while many in the nonprofit community see an existential threat in certain aspects of today’s politics, the financial history of the sector tells a different story. The chapter next turns to the increasingly porous dividing line that was once understood to separate the nonprofit and for-profit realms, with a focus on nonprofits’ move toward the market, the impact of increased privatization of government-funded initiatives, and the move toward clients as consumers.